The Jeremy Kyle Show

Background

In late 2004, Trisha Goddard left ITV to move her Trisha talk show to Five, so as a stopgap, Jeremy Kyle was drafted in to host the talk show The Jeremy Kyle Show until a permanent replacement could be found. The Jeremy Kyle Show, which was first broadcast on 4 July 2005, fully replaced The Trisha Goddard Show in September, and since then the show has been the sole occupant of ITV's weekday 9:25am slot.

During the launch week of the programme, the show was overshadowed by news coverage of the London tube bombings. Earlier in that week, a transmission breakdown disrupted one of the first three showings. In 2007, the show was nominated for the "Most Popular Factual Programme" award at the 13th National Television Awards, although lost in that category to Top Gear.

Style

The guests typically include people from the working class who are concerned about a person or people close to them with a problem that they would like to be resolved. Guests on the show have been stereotyped as chavs or representing an ignorant underclass.

The show generally follows one of four templates. Almost all shows can be categorised this way:

Lie detector

In the show it is applied to cases of theft and infidelity and is claimed to indicate whether someone is being deceptive. However, the validity of polygraph tests have been questioned by researchers to the point that they are rarely cited as a source of legal evidence in countries such as America, and as such the use of the polygraph test on the show has been criticized, at one point to prove the legitimacy of the lie detector test Jeremy Kyle performed a live on stage test with the question "are you, or have you ever been a llama?" which he replied yes, which was identified as a lie. It is not 100% accurate. An on-screen disclaimer is shown before lie detector results are read out on the programme, stating, "The lie detector is designed to indicate whether someone is being deceptive. Practitioners claim its results have a high level of accuracy, although this is disputed."

DNA test

The DNA test is used to determine which potential father is the father of the child, or if potential family members need confirmation that they are definitely biologically related, such as brothers and sisters. The DNA tests are performed by Alpha Biolabs, based in Warrington.

Heartwarmer

The Jeremy Kyle Show speaks to people with unique or rare disabilities or conditions. It then provides the guests with a certain treat or otherwise hard to come by treatment. This has included purchasing a "hair wig" for a woman with alopecia. The heartwarmer also sometimes involves reuniting people who haven't seen each other for many years, usually a parent and their child or two or more siblings. These shows usually air on a Friday. Celebrities also appear in these segments, for example Nikki Grahame went onto the show to discuss her battle with anorexia nervosa and Jack Tweed went onto the show to talk about the death of his wife Jade Goody, who died of cervical cancer in 2009.

On Friday 20 December 2013, a Christmas special of the show aired, part of which took place on an ice rink to help raise money for Text Santa, an organisation founded by ITV that donates money to various charities at Christmas. The show involved children who are disadvantaged in some way, being treated by Kyle and the show to make their Christmas better. Kyle and Graham Stanier travelled to Lapland with the guests as a treat.

General format

Kyle discusses the problem with the guests and "mediates" between all the involved parties, trying to help them reach a solution; he regularly offers backstage and after-show support and counselling, which is guided by Graham Stanier, Kyle's in-show psychotherapist and director of aftercare. With other guests, lie detectors and DNA tests are frequently used to determine whether an individual has been lying, or to reveal whether a man is the biological father of a child.

Frequently, when friends or relatives of the show's guests enter the stage having heard backstage what has been said, strong language and fights break out on the show regularly, although the latter are never shown, instead the camera gives a view of the audience and Jeremy until his security team restores order. This has led to the show being compared with Roman gladiatorial combat in its brutality.

As a talk show host Kyle is known to react with hostility and anger towards those who he sees as having acted immorally, is seen as having a patronising, "holier-than-thou" attitude towards many of his guests, and is accused of exploiting the vulnerable. However, he does claim that he is acting in the best interests of his guests and is intent on helping to solve their personal problems. There have been success stories as a result of guests being on the show, such as the case of a morbidly obese young woman who lost a lot of weight after her appearance on the show. Graham Stanier told The Observer that he was "immensely proud" of the help provided to the show's guests, with "full shows of people coming back on the programme who have been successful in overcoming drug, alcohol or relationship problems, through the care that we have provided".

The validity of the help that is provided to guests has been called into dispute; professional psychotherapist and TV agony uncle Philip Hodson, who was offered the chance to work on the show claimed that he believed the ratings were more important to the show's producers than solving the guests' problems. A former producer for the show claimed that the production team encourages guests to react angrily to one another. This is strengthened by the fact that the high-octane music that plays whenever a guest appears is actually played live and not edited in, serving to deliberately incense or upset guests (or heighten their already increased emotional state) as they reach the stage and enter a conflict. It has also been alleged that the producers "plied an alcoholic guest with beer before he appeared on the programme". ITV has denied these charges, claiming that "two of the guests were given alcohol to counteract withdrawal symptoms while the third had not mentioned a drink problem", that "guests are not deliberately agitated before appearing", and that the show provides to its guests "proper, professional help, funded by the programme, which has really and undeniably helped hundreds of people".

Criticism and controversy

The show has been criticised as being intrinsically provocative to the point of being a disgrace to British television.

On 24 September 2007, a Manchester District Judge, Alan Berg, was sentencing a man who headbutted his love rival while appearing on the show. Judge Berg was reported in the Manchester Evening News as saying: “I have had the misfortune, very recently, of watching The Jeremy Kyle Show. It seems to me that the purpose of this show is to effect a morbid and depressing display of dysfunctional people whose lives are in turmoil”, and that it was “a plain disgrace which goes under the guise of entertainment”. He described it as “human bear-baiting” and added that “it should not surprise anyone that these people, some of whom have limited intellects, become aggressive with each other. This type of incident is exactly what the producers want. These self-righteous individuals should be in the dock with you. They pretend there is some kind of virtue in putting out a show like this.”

An ITV spokeswoman responded in defence that “we take the safety and well-being of studio guests extremely seriously. It is made clear to all guests prior to going into the studio that no violence is ever tolerated.” Kyle responded by saying: “Some people will always think I’ve got the eyes of Satan. Others will think I’m a TV god. People have the right to criticise. Sometimes people need to be stripped bare before they can be helped.”

On 29 September 2007, Learndirect, the government-backed sponsors of The Jeremy Kyle Show, cancelled their £500,000 a year deal over concerns about its content following a letter of protest from Welsh Member of Parliament David Davies. Ufi, which runs the Learndirect adult learning service, said continuing the deal would not “protect and enhance” its reputation. The former sponsor of the show in Scotland, Shades Blinds, retained their association with the programme although they did raise the possibility of withdrawing their sponsorship. It is now sponsored by Foxy Bingo, and has been sponsored by several bingo companies such as Think Bingo, Cheeky Bingo and Gala Bingo.

Newspaper columnists subsequently exchanged mixed views about The Jeremy Kyle Show. Fiona Phillips, writing in the Daily Mirror, accused Judge Berg of being out of touch and claimed those appearing on the programme knew exactly what they were letting themselves in for. However, Carole Malone at sister publication the Sunday Mirror claimed Kyle was only interested in helping his own ego.

In The Times newspaper, columnist Martin Samuel described the show as “a tragic, self-serving procession of freaks, misfits, sad sacks and hopelessly damaged human beings” and its guests as “a collection of angry, tearful and broken people, whose inexperience of talking through painful, contentious, volatile issues leaves them unprepared and inadequate for a confrontation of this nature” whilst noting that they “can only appear intellectually inferior to the host, too, with his sharp suit and well-rehearsed confidence”.

Derek Draper, writing in The Guardian, defended the good points of The Jeremy Kyle Show, mentioning that Kyle “effectively projects himself as a strong father figure, setting boundaries and trying to teach responsibility and restraint” to those on his show.

It has also been alleged by a former guest on the show that due to Ofcom rules, they were forced to change out of a jumper with a branded logo into a tracksuit, before being vilified by Kyle for their clothing choice. As well as multiple allegations dating back to 2011 that guests were separated prior to the show and assigned separate researchers who would 'wind up' guests in order to bring about a reaction when they came together on the show.

Celebrity Specials

The show has had a number of celebrity specials since its launch, which have included Leslie Grantham, Stan Collymore, Jodie Marsh, Nikki Grahame, Razor Ruddock, Jade Goody's mother Jackiey Budden & widowed husband Jack Tweed, Amy Winehouse's ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil & mother-in-law Georgette Civil, Alex Reid, Darren Day, David Van Day, Pamela Anderson, Kerry Katona, Danniella Westbrook and Michael Barrymore.

The thousandth episode, broadcast on 18 March 2010, featured actors from Coronation Street acting as their respective characters, discussing fictional problems within the show. The story centred on what happened on Christmas Day 2009 when Tina McIntyre (played by Michelle Keegan) and Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) kissed. David Platt (played by Jack P. Shepherd) suspects Tina slept with his half-brother. Kyle attempted to sort their fictitious problems in the manner in which he would with a real-life story. In the audience was Graeme Proctor (Craig Gazey), David and Tina's friend.

On 7 June 2013, a special show was dedicated to finding out about the lives of ex-musicians following the break-ups of their respective groups, during which Kyle interviewed ex-Boyzone member Shane Lynch and ex-911 member Jimmy Constable.

From 9–13 June 2014, the show aired a week of new celebrity specials, every day at 2:00 on ITV, as well as broadcasting regular shows at the usual time of 9:25am. The celebrities included were Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, Shaun Ryder, Tito Jackson, Liz Dawn and Michael Barrymore.

Specials

On Friday 17 June 2016, The Jeremy Kyle Show aired a one-off special episode about three of the biggest events (world attacks) that happened over the last 10 years - the gay nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida (2016), the attacks at Sousse, Tunisia (2015) and the 7/7 bombings in London (2005). The show had exclusive interviews with survivors from the attacks.

Don't stare at my child

The episode "Don't stare at my child…he's an inspiration" featured a number of kids with special needs and they all received surprises from Kyle.

Set

Since its debut in 2005, the show's set has undergone various changes, including new "backstage pods" in late 2008, the walls at the side of the stage being changed from wood to a foam material. However, on 9 January 2012, the show unveiled a brand new set, built and installed by Creator International. ITV decided to invest in a new set at Granada Studios, despite its planned closure in 2013 where programmes are expected to be moved to MediaCityUK. Alongside the new set, a new camera jib was installed, allowing more sweeping shots of the stage and the audience

Parodies

The Jeremy Kyle Show has been the subject of parody by at least two BBC comedy shows. In the programme Dead Ringers, a parody of the show has appeared. Also, in October 2007, the BBC began broadcasting The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle, a sitcom starring and co-written by Jennifer Saunders. The show makes no reference to Jeremy Kyle, yet it parodies his show and private lifestyle. BBC Saturday morning show TMi did a weekly parody show which involved the same graphics and a similar set although it was renamed to "The Sammy Kyle Show" with Sam Nixon dressing up as Jeremy. This was for celebrities to air their 'differences'. The show was even indirectly referenced in the Australian cartoon series Dennis the Menace, on which Dennis appears with his mother on a programme resembling The Jeremy Kyle Show in order to discipline him for bad behaviour.

The 2010 music video by Chase & Status for their song Let You Go`` centres around a Kyle-esque chat show called "The Patrick Chase Show" where the eponymous host, dressed in similar sartorial manner to Kyle (grey suit with no tie and undone top button), is recording a show where he points out the flaws of guests. After the show, the host leaves the studio and embarks on a night of drugs, alcohol, sex and criminal activity, before arriving back in the studio in the morning to be cleaned up and start over again.

The video for the single "Lost Generation" by British hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks features a parody of the show, with the duo criticising the show and Kyle himself during the song.

In 2015, The Jeremy Kyle show was parodied in the topical satirical puppet sketch show Newzoids.

DVD

A behind-the-scenes DVD, titled Jeremy Kyle: Access All Areas, was released on 23 November 2009, in which it would show how the researchers, Jeremy & Graham prepare their guests to appear on the show. The DVD also contains backstage footage, swearing (which is muted in the televised recording) and a background story of a family who feature on the show.

U.S. version

In January 2010, ITV announced an agreement to take a pilot version of the show to the United States in 2010, in partnership with Lions Gate Entertainment subsidiary Debmar-Mercury. The pilot proved successful, and in November 2010, the U.S. version was picked up in 70% of the U.S. television markets, ahead of its 19 September 2011 debut. The first episode of the U.S. version was shown on ITV on 28 January 2012.

In December 2012, the American version of The Jeremy Kyle Show was cancelled due to lower than expected ratings.